LIBRARY 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

SANTA  BARBARA 


PRESENTED  BY 

Miss  Rosario  Curletti 


isalm 

AXIII 


1  aball  t>ot  i^apt/Be  roatof  b 
me  to  lie  Dovn  in  3reen  pastu 
$:be  leaT>etb  me  be$iDe  tbe 
lfe  re$torelb  my  $ovl; 
in  tbe  paths  of  ri^  hte 
for  hi*  name's 


tbou^ft  I  v^alk  tbrov$h  ihc  valley 
of  tfte  3fiaDou>  *>f  Oeatft,  1  v>ill 
fear  no  evil:  forfftou  art  u>it6 
we;  tby  roti  anD  ifty  $taff  they 
comfort  Pie.3S|feou  preparest 
a  table  before  n>e  in  tfte  prese- 
nce of^ine  enetwieo;  tfiou~~ 
anointe^t  my  beaD  i^itb  oil;  my 
ci?p  rvnnetft  over/^rrely  ^oo^ 
ne$$  anO  mercy  j$6all  follow  me 
a((  tbe  Day^  of  n>y  life:  an9  I 
Du>ell  in  tbe  ftovjje  of 
for  ever, 


I 

(*»,'.! 

"Beside  the  StHl  Waters."  —  p.   9. 


aitfl  J)*corstfive  J)e$i&>9  by 

CopelariO 


Copyright,  1904 
By  WILLIAM  ALLEN  KNIGHT 


THE    ARAKELYAN    PRESS,    BOSTON,    U.  S.  A. 


o  the  hanfc  thaA  heiO 
be  tea-foil 
the  f axes  of 
the  tvpo  little 


Three  months  have  gone  by  since  this  little 
child  of  my  heart  went  out  into  the  world,  a 
strayting  in  the  scanty  dress  of  a  booklet. 
In  that  time  many  thousands  have  looked 
kindly  on  the  little  wanderer  and  welcomed 
it  into  their  homes.  Letters  from  every- 
where have  come  in,  saying  in  effect :  "  It 
came  to  my  door  yesterday,  and  its  voice  has 
been  sweet  to  me,  and  I  am  glad  to  have  it 
stay  with  me."  For  all  this  I  am  most  thank- 
ful. But  it  is  hard  to  realize  that  the  small 
circle  of  those  who  loved  this  story  a  few 
months  ago  has  grown  now  to  a  multitude. 

Surely  none  of  us  ought  to  be  surprised 
that  our  story  has  itself  grown  under  all  this 
kindness,  after  the  manner  of  children.  la- 


deed,  as  we  are  sending  it  forth  newly 
clothed,  I  find  that  it  is  larger  by  half  than 
when  I  last  prepared  it  for  journeying. 

I  am  set  to  wondering  whether  it  will  not 
grow  quite  away  from  me  and  have  a  life  of 
its  own.  Healthy  children  do  that  very  thing 
usually,  and  wise  parents  are  willing  to  have 
it  so. 

But  I  cannot  cease  to  remember  that  this 
story  is  out  of  my  own  life.  It  lay  in  my 
heart  unborn  for  long.  It  came  forth  in  a 
time  of  shock  and  pain.  There  is  One  who 
knows  why  its  face  is  unmarred  and  bright 
with  the  gladness  of  trust.  I  think  God  has 
let  it  speak  to  so  many  hearts  for  this  reason. 

Go  then,  little  story;  be  bearer  of  thy  mes- 
sage of  cheer  and  glad  restfulness.  I  cannot 
follow  thee  into  lives  that  need  to  hear  thy 
voice;  but  speak  thou  to  them,  and  I  shall 
be  content. 

Yet  I  know,  friends  of  mine,  that  as  you 
look  up  somewhere  in  the  world  from  these 
pages,  you  will  want  to  ask  me  a  question. 


li  has  been  asked  and  answered  many 
times  already.  Because  I  know  some  of 
you  are  in  sick-rooms,  some  are  lonely 
and  some  companioned  by  grief,  some 
are  poor  and  some  for  the  time  are  mis- 
understood, some  are  discouraged  and  some 
feel  themselves  little  loved,  some  are  young 
and  cannot  find  their  way,  and  some  are 
old  and  wayworn, — because  I  know  all  of 
you  have  need  of  the  Shepherd's  watch,  I 
want  to  answer  your  question.  Yes,  we  did 
indeed  have  such  a  guest,  a  man  whose 
home  was  among  the  Syrian  shepherds,  a 
man  who  well  knew  the  life  which  rightly 
interprets  the  Shepherd  Psalm. 

I  give  my  word  that  this  story's  message 
about  the  Psalm's  meaning  is  straight  from 
David's  land.  We  had  such  a  guest  and  he 
told  us  these  things  out  of  the  life  of  his  people, 
as  we  sat  together  one  night  over  fragrant 

cups  of  tea. 

W.  A.  K, 
Boston,  January,  1904. 


Can  there  be  anything  more  poetic  than  this  life 
ox  the  Syrian  shepherd  ?  It  ought  to  be  religious, 
too.  Far,  far  away,  out  on  the  lone  mountain,  with 
the  everlasting  hills  around,  and  heaven  above,  pure, 
blue,  and  high,  and  still.  There  go  and  worship  in 
solemn  silence  and  soul-subduing  solitude,  worship 
the  Most  High  God  in  his  temple  not  made  with 
.hands. 

And  now  the  lights  are  out  in  the  village,  the 
shepherds  are  asleep  by  the  side  of  their  flocks,  the 
tinkling  bell  from  the  fold  falls  faintly  on  the  still 
night  air,  and  the  watch-dog  bays  drowsily  from  his 
kennel  at  the  gate.  Good  night,  fair  world;  'tis  time 
to  seek  repose.  Let  us  first  read  and  meditate  upon 
that  delightful  chapter,  the  tenth  of  St.  John,  where 
our  blessed  Saviour  appropriates  all  these  characters 
of  a  good  shepherd  to  himself. 

"  The  Land  and  the  Book." 


"  Faduel  Moghabghab,"  said  our 
guest,  laughing  as  he  leaned  over  the 
tea-table  toward  two  little  maids,  - 
vainly  trying  to  beguile  their  willing  and 
sweetly  puckered  lips  into  pronouncing 
his  name.  "  Faduel  Moghabghab,"  he 
repeated  hi  syllables,  pointing  to  the  card 
he  had  passed  to  them.  "  Accent  the  u 
and  drop  those  g's  which  your  little  throats 
cannot  manage,"  he  went  on  kindly, 


wkile  t*16  merriment  sparkled  in  his 


0C-L 

^vrixn  C^uV^t  I118*1*0118  dark  eyes,  and  his  milk-white 
teeth,  seen  through  his  black  mous- 
tache as  he  laughed,  added  beauty  to  his 
delicate  and  vivacious  face. 

He  was  a  man  of  winsome  mind,  this 
Syrian  guest  of  ours,  and  the  spirituality 
of  his  culture  was  as  marked  as  the  re- 
finement of  his  manners.  We  shall  long 
remember  him  for  the  tales  told  that 
evening  of  his  home  in  Ainzehalta  on  the 
slope  of  the  Syrian  mountains,  but  long- 
est of  all  for  what  he  said  out  of  the  mem- 
ories of  his  youth  about  a  shepherd  song, 

"  It  was  out  of  the  shepherd  life  of  my 
country,"  he  remarked,  "  that  there  came 
long  ago  that  sweetest  religious  song  ever 
written  —  the  Twenty-third  Psalm." 

After  the  ripple  of  his  merriment  with 
the  children  had  passed  he  turned  to  me 
with  a  face  now  serious  and  pensive,  and 


said:  "Ah,  so   many  things  familiar 
to  us  are  strange  to  you  of  America." 

"  Yes,"  I  answered,  "  and  no  doubt 
because  of  this  we  often  make  mistakes 
which  are  more  serious  than  mispronun- 
ciation of  your  modern  names." 

He  smiled  pleasantly,  then  with  earnest- 
ness said:  "  So  many  things  in  the  life  of 
my  people,  the  same  now  as  in  the  days 
of  old,  have  been  woven  into  the  words  of 
the  Bible  and  into  the  conceptions  of  reli- 
gious ideas  as  expressed  there;  you  of  the 
Western  world,  not  knowing  these  things 
as  they  are,  often  misunderstand  what  is 
written,  or  at  least  fail  to  get  a  correct 
impression  from  it." 

"Tell  us  about  some  of  these,"  I  ven- 
tured, with  a  parental 
glance  at  two  listening 
little  faces. 


we* 


R<ili___     , 

J       After  mentioning  several  instances, 


he  went  on :  "  And  there  is  the  shep- 
herd psalm:  I  find  that  it  is  taken 
among  you  as  having  two  parts,  the  first 
under  the  figure  of  shepherd  life,  the  sec- 
ond turning  to  the  figure  of  a  banquet 
with  the  host  and  the  guest." 

"  Oh,  we  have  talked  about  that,"  said 
my  lady  of  the  teacups  as  she  dangled  the 
tea-ball  with  a  connoisseur's  fondness, 
"  and  we  have  even  said  that  we  wished 
the  wonderful  little  psalm  could  have  been 
finished  in  the  one  figure  of  shepherd  life." 

"  It  seems  to  us,"  I  added,  wishing  to 
give  suitable  support  to  my  lady's  rather 
brave  declaration  of  our  sense  of  a  literary 
flaw  in  the  matchless  psalm,  "  it  seems 
to  us  to  lose  the  sweet,  simple  melody 
and  to  close  with  strange,  heavy  chords 
when  it  changes  to  a  scene  of  banquet 
hospitality.  Do  you  mean  that  it  actu- 


ally  keeps  the  shepherd  figure  to  the 
end?" 

"  Certainly,  good  friends." 

With  keen  personal  interest  I  asked  him 
to  tell  us  how  we  might  see  it  as  a  shep- 
herd psalm  throughout.  So  we  listened 
and  he  talked,  over  the  cooling  teacups. 

"  It  is  all,  all  a  simple  shepherd  psalm," 
he  began.  "  See  how  it  runs  through  the 
round  of  shepherd  life  from  first  word 
to  last." 

With  softly  modulated  voice  that  had 
the  rhythm  of  music  and  the  hush  of 
veneration  in  it,  he  quoted:  "  'Q)g  COfd 

is  my  sbepberd}  I  shall  not  want' 

"  There  is  the  opening  strain  of  its 
music;  in  that  chord  is  sounded  the  key- 
note which  is  never  lost  till  the  plaintive 
melody  dies  away  at  the  song's  end.  All 
that  follows  is  that  thought  put  in  vary- 
ing light." 


of  *vr        w*s1  *  were 

here 


the  interchange  of  tones  in  his  mel- 
low voice  as  he  went  on.  He  talked  of 
how  the  varied  needs  of  the  sheep  and 
the  many-sided  care  of  the  shepherd  are 
pictured  with  masterly  touch  in  the  short 
sentences  of  the  psalm. 

"  Each  is  distinct  and  adds  something 
too  precious  to  be  merged  and  lost,"  he 
said. 

"  'fie  tnaftetl)  me  to  lie  down  hi  green 

pa$tttre$/—  nourishment,  rest    '  Re  lead- 

etD  me  Deside  tfte  still  waters,'—  the 

scene  changes  and  so  does  the  meaning. 
You  think  here  of  quietly  flowing  streams  ; 
so  you  get  one  more  picture  of  rest;  but 
you  miss  one  of  the  finest  scenes  in  shep- 
herd life  and  one  of  the  rarest  blessings 
of  the  soul  that  is  led  of  God.  All  through 
the  day's  roaming  the  shepherd  keeps  one 


thing  in  mind.  He  must  lead  his 
flock  to  a  drinking-place.  The  re- 
freshment of  good  water  makes  the 
coveted  hour  of  all  the  day;  the  spot 
where  it  is  found  amid  the  rough,  water- 
less hills  and  plains  is  the  crowning  token 
of  the  shepherd's  unfailing  thoughtfulness. 
When  at  last  the  sheep  are  led  *  beside 
the  still  waters,'  how  good  it  is,  after  the 
dust  and  heat  of  the  sheep-walks! 

"  Would  you  get  the  shepherd  meaning     ..., 
here?     Then  remember  that  streams  are  <j  . 
few  in  the  shepherd  country  of  Bible  lands. 
The  shepherds  do  not  rely  on  them.     Even 
where  streams  are  found,  their  beds  and 
banks    are  usually  broken  and  their  flow 
rough.      Sheep  are  timid  and  fear  a  cur- 
rent   of    water,  as    they  well   may, 
for      they     are     easily  v-.'f-  ~"^r 
carried     down      stream  :V.^jj 

"  "^~t^~V 

because     of     their       ^^   *** 
wool."  pr* 

^ 


flf  ~  "  Poor  ^^S8*   kow   do  they  ever 


^et  a  ^00<*  ^Tm^-  ?  "  exclaimed  one 
of  the  two  little  maids,  whose 
heart  was  always  open  lovingly  to 
animals. 

"  The  shepherd  sees  to  that,  doesn't 
he  ?  "  said  the  other  timidly,  with  earnest 
eyes  set  on  our  guest. 

His  face  beamed  with  winsome  relish 
of  these  tributes  to  his  success.  "  Yes, 
the  sheep  would  indeed  have  a  hard  time 
finding  water  to  drink,  were  it  not  that 
the  shepherd  sees  to  that." 

The  playfulness  faded  from  his  eyes 
and  the  shadow  of  manhood's  years  was 
there  as  he  said  to  me  :  "  Brother,  you 
and  I  have  learned  how  much  is  in  that 
question  and  answer.  How  would  we 
get  the  refreshment  we  need  in  the  rough 
world,  if  the  Shepherd  did  not  see  to  that  ? 
But  he  does,  he  does  !  " 


His   face  brightened  again    as   he 


turned  to  the  four  blue    eyes  across 
the  table. 

"  Shall  I  tell  you  how  the  shepherd  sees 
to  it  that  the  sheep  have  a  good  drink 
every  day?  Listen: 

"  There  are  wells  and  fountains  all 
through  the  vast  regions  where  the  flocks 
roam,  and  in  some  parts  there  are  cisterns, 
though  the  sheep  like  the  living  water 
best.  The  shepherds  know  where  these 
drinking-places  are  all  through  the  treeless 
country  where  streams  are  few.  It  is  a 
fine  sight  to  see  the  shepherds  bring  their 
flocks  at  some  well 

or  fountain,  while  the  wide,  silent  country 
over  which  they  and  many  other  sheep 
have  wandered,  spreads  all  around  them, 
and  the  full  expanse  of  the  sky  arches 

over  them*,  tesiile  the  still  waters.' 

"  The  shepherd  makes  a  certain  sound : 


of-Ovr- 


rtf^^ri?  a^  k*s  sneep  lie  down  and  are  quiet. 


The  bubbling  of  the  fountain,  or  the 
current,  if  it  be  by  a  stream,  is  no  longer 
there  to  trouble  the  sheep.  They  can  drink 
now  undisturbed.  This  is  the  delicate 
meaning  of  that  word  *  still.'  As  the 
Hebrew  words  put  it,  '  He  leadeth  beside 
the  waters  of  quietness.* 

"  Then  the  waiting  sheep  hear  a  whis- 
tle or  a  call.  They  never  misunderstand; 
they  know  their  shepherd's  voice  and  never 
respond  to  the  wrong  shepherd  if  several 
flocks  have  come  up  together.  And  stran- 
gest of  all,  the  sheep  come  up  by  groups; 
the  shepherd  makes  them  understand.  So 
in  groups  he  leads  them  until  they  stand 

4  besfck  rt>*  $tiH  w<«*r$'      And,  oh,  how 

they   drink,   with   the   shepherd   standing 
near  I " 

After  a  pause,  with  a  far-off  look  in  his 


eyes,  he  said,  "  It  is  a  beautiful  scene, 
so  beautiful  that  St.  John  has  used  it 
in  picturing  heaven."  A  smile  broke 
over  his  face  as  he  quoted  :"*The  Lamb 
that  is  in  the  midst  of  the  throne  shall  be 
their  shepherd,  and  shall  guide  them 
unto  fountains  of  waters  of  life.* " 

No  one  spoke  as  he  sat  turning  his  tea- 
cup. A  tear  started  from  his  dropped  eyes. 
Presently  he  seemed  to  recall  himself. 

"  But  I  must  tell  you  one  more  scene 
that  comes  to  my  memory  whenever  I 

read  the  words,  'fie  leaflets  me  besifle 

fl)C  Still  W4ter$/     It  would  make  a  beau- 
tiful picture  if  some  one  would  paint  it. 

"  Up  in  the  mountainsides  of  Lebanon, 
where  my  kinsmen  have  long  been  shep- 
herds, often  there  are  no  regular  drinking- 
places,  such  as  the  wells  and  fountains  on 
the  plains.  But  as  the  shepherd  leads  his 
sheep  over  the  rough  slopes  he  finds  many 


*  a  spring  and  sees  its  rivulet  noisily 
running  down  a  crevice.  His  sheep 
need  water.  They  cannot  drink  from 
the  leaping  little  stream.  What  does  he  do? 
He  finds  a  suitable  turn  or  nook  in  its 
course;  he  walls  it  up  with  a  little  dam 
and  so  holds  the  water  till  it  forms  a 
quiet  pool.  Then,  right  there  on  the  open 
hills,  he  leads  his  sheep  'fyc$j(Jc  *fa  $fj|| 
W(ltCr$.  I  know  of  nothing  more  fit  to 
picture  the  Shepherd's  care  of  souls  that 
trust  him  than  that  scene  up  there  on 
-  the  mountainside." 

While  our  thoughts  were  carried  away 
to  these  scenes  of  thirsty  flocks  drinking, 
I  chanced  to  notice  that  the  tea-ball  was 
again  quietly  at  work.    As  we  sat 
thinking  on  that  picture  up  in  the 
mountain,  a  good  hand  offered  our 
guest  a  fresh    cup.      He  received 
it    with   a    low   bow,  sipped  it  in 


quiet,    then    with    a    grateful    smile 
began  speaking  again: 

'"Ifc  mtorctl)  my  $oul.f  YOU 

know,"  he  said,  turning  to  me,  "  that 
soul  means  the  life  or  one's  self  in  the 
Hebrew  writings." 

Then  addressing  us  all  he  went  on: 
"  There  are  perilous  places  for  the  sheep  on 
all  sides,  and  they  seem  never  to  learn  to 
avoid  them.  The  shepherd  must  ever  be 
on  the  watch.  And  there  are  private  fields 
and  sometimes  gardens  and  vineyards 
here  and  there  in  the  shepherd  country; 
if  the  sheep  stray  into  them  and  be  caught 
there  it  is  forfeited  to  the  owner  of  the 
land.  So,  *g$  mtOrttb  fliy  SOUl'means, 
*  The  shepherd  brings  me  back  and  rescues 
me  from  fatal  and  forbidden  places.'  " 

"  e  Restores  me  when  wandering,'  is  the 
way  it  is  put  in  one  of  our  hymns,"  I 
interposed. 


^T  & 


'<Ah'  sir'  that  is  *  exactly>"  he 

answere<^>  "  '  Restores  me  when  wan- 
dering! J 

44 '  Be  lealetb  me  in  tbe  patbs  of  rig!>t« 
for  bis  name's  safce/  ^^  have 

I  roamed  through  the  shepherd  country 
in  my  youth  and  seen  how  hard  it  is  to 
choose  the  right  path  for  the  sheep;  one 
leads  to  a  precipice,  another  to  a  place 
where  the  sheep  cannot  find  the  way  back ; 
and  the  shepherd  was  always  going  ahead, 
*  leading '  them  in  the  right  paths,  proud 
of  his  good  name  as  a  shepherd. 

"  Some  paths  that  are  right  paths  still 
lead    through    places    that    have    deadly 

perils.  «vea,  tfeougD  T  «m»  ftroflgfc  tDe 
wHey  of  tbe  shadow  of  Oeatb/  fe  the  wa? 

the  psalm  touches  this  fact  in  shepherd 
life.  This  way  of  naming  the  valley  is 
very  true  to  our  country.  I  remember  one 
near  my  home  called  *  the  valley  of  robbers,' 


"The  Valley  of  the  Shadow  of  Death." 


and  another,  *  the  ravine  of  the  ra- 
ven.' You  see  *  the  valley  of  the 
shadow  of  death '  is  a  name  drawn 
from  my  country's  old  custom. 

"  'Tor  tbou  art  witft  me/ Ah,  how 

could  more  be  put  into  few  words!  With 
the  sheep,  it  matters  not  what  the  sur- 
roundings are,  nor  how  great  the  perils  and 
hardships;  if  only  the  shepherd  is  with 
them,  they  are  content.  There  is  no  finer 
picture  of  the  way  of  peace  for  the  troubled 
in  all  the  world. 

"  To  show  how  much  the  presence  of 
the  shepherd  counts  for  the  welfare  of  the 
sheep  I  can  think  of  nothing  better  than 
the  strange  thing  I  now  tell  you.  It  is  quite 
beyond  the  usual,  daily  care  on  which  the 
flock  depends  so  fondly.  But  I  have  seen 
it  more  than  once. 

"  Sometimes,  in  spite  of  all  the  care  of 
the  shepherd  and  his  dogs,  a  wolf  will  get 


nF^SiJiv  into  the  verv  midst  of  the  flock* 

0ymn  (Jvetf The  sheep  •"  wild  with  fright  They 

run  and  leap  and  make  it  impossible 
to  get  at  the  foe  in  their  midst,  who  at 
that  very  moment  may  be  fastening  his 
teeth  in  the  throat  of  a  helpless  member 
of  the  flock.  But  the  shepherd  is 
with  them.  He  knows  what  to  do 
even  at  such  a  tune.  He  leaps  to  a 
rock  or  hillock  that  he  may  be  seen 
and  heard.  Then  he  lifts  his  voice  in  a 
long  call,  something  like  a  wolf's  cry: 
<0oh!  ooh!' 

"  On  hearing  this,  the  sheep  remember 
the  shepherd;  they  heed  his  voice;  and, 
strange  to  tell,  the  poor,  timid  creatures, 
which  were  helpless  with  terror  before, 
instantly  rush  with  all  their  strength  into 
a  solid  mass.  The  pressure  is  irresistible; 
the  wolf  is  overcome;  frequently  he  is 
crushed  to  death,  while  the  shepherd 


stands  there  on  a  rock  crying,  c  Ooh ! 

oohi'   4I  will  fear  no  evil:  for 
toon  art  ivitb  me/  " 

He  paused,  looking  questioningly  at  one 
and  another. 

"  Yes,"  I  said  at  last,  "  c  in  all  these  things 
we  are  more  than  conquerors  through  him 
that  loved  us.*"  He  bowed  his  satisfac- 
tion in  silence. 

44  'Cl>y  rod  ana  tby  staff'  —this  also 

is  true  to  life ;  the  double  expression  covers 
the  whole  round  of  protecting  care.  For 
the  shepherds  carry  a  crook  for  guiding 
the  sheep  and  a  weapon  suitable  for  defend- 
ing them,  the  rod  and  the  staff;  one  for 
aiding  them  in  places  of  need  along  peace- 
ful ways,  the  other  for  defense  in  perils 
of  robbers  and  wild  beasts.  This  saying 
describes  with  the  ease  of  mastery  how 
much  those  words  mean,  'O)OU  art  Wit!) 


of  the  next 

stafT 


Ah,  madam,  you  should 
see  the  sheep  cuddle  near  the  shepherd  to 
understand  that  word/  tfte?  COtttfOrt  UK.' 
The  shepherd's  call  *  Ta-a-a-a,  ho-o-o,' 
and  the  answering  patter  of  feet  as  the 
sheep  hurry  to  him,  are  fit  sounds  to  be 
chosen  out  of  the  noisy  world  to  show 
what  comfort  God  gives  to  souls  that  heed 
his  voice;  and  those  sounds  have  been 
heard  in  my  country  this  day  as  they  were 
the  day  this  shepherd  psalm  was  written  !  " 
He  sat  in  silence  a  moment  musing  as 
if  the  sound  were  in  his  ear. 

\\      With  quiet  animation  he  lifted 
his  thin  hand    and    continued: 
"  Now  here  is  where  you  drop 
the  shepherd  figure  and  put  in 
banquet  and  so  lose 


the  fine  climax  of  completeness    in 
the  shepherd's  care." 

It  need  not  be  said  that  we  were 
eager  listeners  now,  for  our  guest  was  all 
aglow  with  memories  of  his  far-off  home- 
land and  we  felt  that  we  were  about  to  see 
new  rays  of  light  flash  from  this  rarest 
gem  in  the  song-treasury  of  the  world. 

"  'Cboti  prepares!  a  tafck  before  m 
in  (be  presence  of  »hK  mmtet:"  in 

the  same  hushed  voice  in  which  he  quoted 
these  words  he  added :  "  Ah,  to  think  that 
the  shepherd's  highest  skill  and  heroism 
should  be  lost  from  view  as  the  psalm 
begins  to  sing  of  it,  and  only  an  indoor 
banquet  thought  of ! "  Again  he  sat  a 
little  time  in  quiet.  Then  he  said: 

"The  word  for  table  here  means  sim- 
ply '  something  spread  out '  and  so  a 
prepared  meal,  however  it  is  set  forth, 
There  is  no  higher  task  of  the  shepherd 


in  my  country  than  to  g< 
to  time  to  study  places  and  examine 
the  grass  and  find  a  good  and  safe 
feeding-place  for  his  sheep.  All  his  skill 
and  often  great  heroism  are  called  for. 
There  are  many  poisonous  plants  in  the 
grass  and  the  shepherd  must  find  and 
avoid  them.  The  sheep  will  not  eat 
certain  poisonous  things,  but  there  are 
some  which  they  will  eat,  one  kind  of 
poisonous  grass  in  particular.  A  cousin 
of  mine  once  lost  three  hundred  sheep  by 
a  mistake  in  this  hard  task. 

"  Then  there  are  snake  holes  in  some 
kinds  of  ground,  and,  if  they  be  not  driven 
away,  the  snakes  bite  the  noses  of  the 
sheep.  The  shepherd  sometimes  burns 
the  fat  of  hogs  along  the  ground  to  do 
this.  Sometimes  the  shepherd  finds  ground 
where  moles  have  worked  their  holes  just 
under  the  surface.  Snakes  lie  in  these 


holes  with  their  heads   sticking    up 
ready  to  bite  the  grazing  sheep.    The 
shepherds  know  how  to  drive  them 
away   as    they  go   along    ahead    of    the 
sheep. 

"  And  around  the  feeding-ground  which 
the  shepherd  thus  prepares,  in  holes  and 
caves  in  the  hillsides  there  are  jackals, 
wolves,  hyenas,  and  panthers,  too,  and  the 
bravery  and  skill  of  the  shepherd  are  at 
the  highest  point  in  closing  up  these  dens 
with  stones  or  slaying  the  wild  beasts  with 
his  long-bladed  knife.  Of  nothing  do  you 
hear  shepherds  boasting  more  proudly  than 
of  their  achievements  in  this  part  of  their 
care  of  flocks. 

"  And  now,"  he  exclaimed  with  a  beam- 
ing countenance  and  suppressed  feeling, 
as  if  pleading  for  recognition  of  the  lone 
shepherd's  bravest  act  of  devotion  to  his 
sheep,  "  *ad  now  do  you  not  see  the 


Of  ~6iir>  sheP^er<^   figure  in  that  quaint    line, 

'tftoa  prepares!  a  tabk  before  me  to 
tfoe  presence  of  mine  enemies  *  ? " 

"  Yes,"  I  answered ;  "  and  I  see  that 
God's  care  of  a  man  out  in  the  world  is 
a  grander  thought  than  that  of  seating 
him  at  an  indoor  banquet-table." 

"  But  what  about  anointing  the  head 
with  oil  and  the  cup  running  over?  Go 
on,  my  friend." 

"  Oh,  there  begins  the  beautiful  picture 
at  the  end  of  the  day.  The  psalm  has 
sung  of  the  whole  round  of  the  day's 
wandering,  all  the  needs  of  the  sheep, 
all  the  care  of  the  shepherd.  Now  the 
psalm  closes  with  the  last  scene  of  the 
day.  At  the  door  of  the  sheepfold  the 
shepherd  stands  and  *  the  rodding  of  the 
sheep  '  takes  place.  The  shepherd  stands, 
turning  his  body  to  let  the  sheep  pass;  he 
is  the  door,  as  Christ  said  of  himself.  With 


"The  Rodding  of  the  Sheep. 


his  rod  he  holds  back  the  sheep  while 
he  inspects  them  one  by  one  as  they 
pass  into  the  fold.  He  has  the  horn 
filled  with  olive-oil  and  he  has  cedar-tar, 
and  he  anoints  a  knee  bruised  on  the  rocks 
or  a  side  scratched  by  thorns.  And  here 
comes  one  that  is  not  bruised  but  is  simply 
worn  and  exhausted ;  he  bathes  its  face  and 
head  with  the  refreshing  olive-oil  and  he 
takes  the  large  two-handled  cup  and  dips 
it  brimming  full  from  the  vessel  of  water 
provided  for  that  purpose,  and  he  lets  the 
weary  sheep  drink. 

"  There  is  nothing  finer  in  the  psalm 
than  this.  God's  care  is  not  for  the 
wounded  only,  but  for  the  worn  and  weary 

also,    'ttou  anoint***  my  bead  wit»  ofl* 
*ag  cup  rmrnefo  opcr.' 

"  And  then,  when  the  day  is  done  and 
the  sheep  are  snug  within  the  fold,  what 
contentment,  what  rest  under  the  starry 


Then  comes  the  thought  of  deep- 
est  repose  and  comfort:    '  $urety  gOOd- 

nc$$  ana  mercy  $IMH  follow  me  all 
tDe  days  of  my  life,'as  they  have  through 

all  the  wanderings  of  the  day  now  ended. 
"  The  song  dies  away  as  the  heart  that 
God  has  watched  and  tended  breathes 
this  grateful  vow  before  the  roaming  of  the 
day  is  forgotten  in  sleep:  «j  ^j|j»  —  not 
shall,  but  will  ;  for  it  is  a  decision,  a  settled 
purpose,  a  holy  vow-  «|  Wj]|  ^fl  jn  fj)e 

bouse  of  the  Cora  for  ever/  ^  the 

song  ends,  and  the  sheep  are  at  rest,  safe 
in  the  good  shepherd's  fold." 

Do  you  wonder  that  ever  since  that 
night  we  have  called  this  psalm  The  Song 
of  Our  Syrian  Guest? 


Sidelights 


Sbepberd  Eife  in  Bible  Eands 

PROFESSOR  GEORGE  E.  POST 

The  American  College,  Beyrout,  Syria 


"  The  same  regions  which  furnished  the 
vast  flocks  in  ancient  times  are  still  noted 
for  their  sheep.  All  the  plateaus  east  of 
the  Jordan  and  the  mountains  of  Pales- 
tine and  Syria  are  pasture-grounds  for 
innumerable  flocks  and  herds.  They  re- 
quire water  but  once  a  day,  and,  where 
they  cannot  get  it  from  perennial  streams, 
they  find  it  in  the  innumerable  wells, 
fountains  and  cisterns.  The  descendants 
of  the  same  shepherds  who  tended  flocks 
in  Bible  days  still  occupy  the  great  sheep- 
walks  of  Palestine. 


£_ 

f£t*  "The  care  of  sheeP  is  the  subJect 
°f  frequent  allusion  'm  Scripture.  The 
shepherd  leads  (not  drives)  them  to 
pasture  and  water  (Ps.  23 ;  77 : 20 ;  78 : 52 ; 
80:  i) ;  protects  them  at  the  risk  of  his  life 
(John  10 : 15).  To  keep  them  from  the  cold 
and  rain  and  beasts,  he  collects  them  in 
caves  (i  Sam.  24:3)  or  enclosures  built  of 
rough  stones  (Num.  32:16;  Judg.  5:16; 
Zeph.  2:6;  John  10:1).  The  sheep  know 
their  shepherd,  and  heed  his  voice  (John 
10:4).  It  is  one  of  the  most  interesting 
spectacles  to  see  a  number  of  flocks  of 
thirsty  sheep  brought  by  their  several 
shepherds  to  be  watered  at  a  fountain. 
Each  flock,  in  obedience  to  the  call  of  its 
own  shepherd,  lies  down,  awaiting  its  turn. 
The  shepherd  of  one  flock  calls  his  sheep 
in  squads,  draws  water  for  them,  pours 
it  into  the  troughs,  and,  when  the  squad 
has  done,  orders  it  away  by  sounds  which 


the  sheep  perfectly  understand,  and 
calls  up  another  squad.  When  the 
whole  of  one  flock  is  watered,  its 
shepherd  signals  to  it,  and  the  sheep  rise 
and  move  leisurely  away,  while  another 
flock  comes  in  a  similar  manner  to  the 
troughs,  and  so  on,  until  all  the  flocks  are 
watered.  The  sheep  never  make  any  mis- 
take as  to  who  whistles  to  them  or  calls 
to  them.  '  They  know  not  the  voice  of 
strangers'  (John  10:5).  Sometimes  they 
are  called  by  names  (John  10:3).  Syrian 
sheep  are  usually  white  (Ps.  147:16; 
Isa.  1:18;  Dan.  7:9),  but  some  are 
brown  (Gen.  30 : 32-42 ;  Revised  Version 
f  black').  No  animal  mentioned  hi 
Scripture  compares  in  symbolical  interest 
and  importance  with  the  sheep.  It  is 
alluded  to  about  five  hundred  times." 


tbc  Singing  Pilgrim 

CHARACTERIZATION  OF  THE  TWENTY-THIRD  PSALM, 
HETTRY  WARD   BEECHER 


"The  Twenty-third  Psalm  is  the  night- 
ingale of  the  psalms.  It  is  small,  of  a 
homely  feather,  singing  shyly  out  of  ob- 
scurity; but,  oh,  it  has  filled  the  air  of 
the  whole  world  vith  melodious  joy, 
greater  than  the  ht-art  can  conceive! 
Blessed  be  the  day  on  -vhich  that  psalm 
was  born! 

"  What  would  you  say  of  a  pilgrim  com- 
missioned of  God  to  travel  up  and  down 
the  earth  singing  a  strange  melody,  which, 
when  once  heard,  caused  him  to  forget  what- 
ever sorrow  he  had  ?  And  so  the  singing 


angel  goes  on  his  way  through  all 

lands,  singing  in  the  language  of  every 

...  .. 

nation,  dnvmg  away  trouble  by  the 

pulses  of  the  air  which  his  tongue  moves 
with  divine  power.  Behold  just  such  an 
one!  This  pilgrim  God  has  sent  to  speak 
in  every  language  on  the  globe.  It  has 
charmed  more  griefs  to  rest  than  all  the 
philosophy  of  the  world.  It  has  remanded 
to  their  dungeon  more  felon  thoughts, 
more  black  doubts,  more  thieving  sorrows, 
than  there  are  sands  on  the  seashore. 
It  has  comforted  the  noble  host  of 
the  poor.  It  has  sung  courage  to  the 
army  of  the  disappointed.  It  has  poured 
balm  and  consolation  into  the  heart 
of  the  sick,  of  captives  in  dungeons,  of 
widows  in  their  pinching  griefs,  of  or- 
phans in  their  loneliness.  Dying  soldiers 
have  died  easier  as  it  was  read  to  them; 
ghastly  hospitals  have  been  illuminated; 


%$&$  it 


and  broken 


led  him  forth  hi  imagination,  and 
sung  him  back  to  his  home  again.  It  has 
'nade  the  dying  Christian  slave  freer  than 
his  master,  and  consoled  those  whom, 
dying,  he  left  behind,  mourning  not  sp 
much  that  he  was  gone  as  because  they 
were  left  behind  and  could  not  go  too. 

"Nor  is  its  work  done.  It  will  go  on 
singing  to  your  children  and  my  children, 
and  to  their  children,  through  all  the 
generations  of  time;  nor  will  it  fold  its 
wings  till  the  last  pilgrim  is  safe,  and  time 
ended;  and  then  it  shall  fly  back  to  the 
bosom  of  God,  whence  it  issued,  and 
sound  on,  mingled  with  all  those  sounds 
of  celestial  joy  which  make  heaven  musi- 
cal forever." 


s 


:s 


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